


Mates for Life

by Aerle



Series: Tumblr prompts [5]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Ficlet Collection, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-01 12:25:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 18,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4019665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aerle/pseuds/Aerle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collection of Shanks/Benn ficlets, written for Tumblr. Ratings vary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ShanksBenn, Military!AU, requested by lunarshores. Three-sentence fic

As lieutenant, Benn had been the one in command ever since the former captain retired and they had been waiting for a new one, who had been transferred here today and now the lieutenant was on his way to welcome him. What he hadn’t expected was to find the captain drunk in his office, legs popped up the desk and an open bottle in his hand, and he certainly hadn’t seen it coming when Benn moved over to see if the guy was okay, to have his lips smashed together with his superior.

Straightening, Benn took a deep breath through his nose and wondered if it was too soon for him to retire.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ShanksBenn, Lost!AU, requested by lunarshores (?). Three-sentence fic

Benn had always been the one he relied on, the one that knew everything, so it had seemed like a perfectly good idea to have him accompany Shanks on his hiking trip. Unfortunately, as it turned out, Benn was no navigator.

Scratching the back of his head, the dark haired man turned the map, before sighing, crumpling it into a ball and throwing it over his shoulder. “I think we’re lost.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mythological!AU, requested by MyLadyDay

From the hilltop, Benn used his hand to cover his eyes to look in the distance and not stare directly in the setting sun. In his other hand, he loosely held his bow and his arrows were safely secured in the quiver on his back, his hair blowing in the wind. Today had been a good day. The hunt had gone well, though he may had scared a nymph or two, but centaurs did have a reputation even if Benn didn’t live up to it. He preferred to mind his own business and, if the need arose, keep to his own species, or rather one centaur in particular.

Said centaur was probably waiting for him to come back with the game, as the sun was starting to set already. He cast one last look to the hills, now adorned in the reddish light of the setting sun, and stroked some of his black long hair behind his ear. He should remember this spot.

Benn turned around and entered the woods again, where his home was. As suspected, in a clearing in the woods, enjoying the last rays of the sun, another centaur was lying, his red coat shining beautifully. Benn watched his lover for a moment, before the other centaur turned his head and his face split into a grin. “There you are. I was starting to miss you.”

“Miss me or miss a drinking buddy?” he grunted as he placed the game on the ground.

The grin spread even wider, if possible and Shanks gestured to two mugs of beer. “You know me so well.”

If there was anything Shanks liked, it was drinking and Benn didn’t doubt the other centaur had started without him. In any case, it didn’t take long for him to get drunk.

It was hard to predict how Shanks would behave when he was like that, though he was never violent. Stupid, but not violent. Sometimes he would get clingy and not let go of Benn until he had fallen fast asleep – and even then it was tricky. Other times, he would dance all night or demand to go on an adventure.

Tonight, however, he had thought of something new as he insisted on braiding Benn’s hair and placing a crown of flowers on his head. When he was done, he looked at Benn and couldn’t stop giggling. “My, Benn, you are such a fabulous creature!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I wish you would write a fic... where Benn and Shanks kiss for the first time", requested by arzani92

Shanks tried to step out of the train without being trampled – failing miserably. His briefcase was stuck between people or other cases, but when he pulled, the handle broke and the briefcase fell, and Shanks had to go back into the train to get it.

Unfortunately, that was the moment the conductor blew their whistle, and the doors of the train closed. Shanks cursed and tried to leap out of the train, only to be hit in the face by the door.

Great, could this day get any worse? Shanks prided himself in being an optimist and, usually, an unexpected trip would be welcome, but he was tired after working and he just wanted to go home.

Sighing again, he decided that he would just exit the train at the next station – which was about an hour away from his original destination – and take the next train back. Or he would just go to a hotel or something and make a mini-vacation out of it. It was weekend anyway, and he could use some time away from home.

Content with that decision, Shanks went to look for a seat. Most people had exited the train where Shanks had wanted to do that as well, so the compartment was relatively empty. He could just sit wherever, when his eye fell on a man, who was looking out of the window.

Shanks knew him. He had gone to college with him, now seemingly so long ago. Benn Beckman – his name came back instantly – had been the cool, mysterious type Shanks hadn’t been able to resist. Even after all these years, his crush came rushing back to him.

Benn was nice, despite his aloof nature, but they had never been more than friends, or maybe just acquaintances. Shanks had never dared to ask him out, something he regretted to this day. Fate had given him a golden opportunity to make up for that, and Shanks smirked. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing he had missed his station.

He hastened himself to the toilet booth, to tidy himself up a bit. In the scratched mirror, he tried to fix his hair and not to look how he felt only five minutes ago, namely, like he was run over by a truck.

“Is this seat taken?” he asked casually, once he had made his way back to the compartment. He tried to act cool, something he didn’t feel. He had no idea if Benn even remembered him; they had only shared one class, and Shanks couldn’t say he had been impressive then.

Benn looked up from the newspaper he was reading and cast a look around the compartment.

Shanks started to sweat. There were enough empty seats, there was no reason for him to sit across Benn, who was barely more than a stranger.

Yet, Benn smiled lightly and folded the newspaper. “Go ahead.”

Doing an inner victory dance, Shanks sat down, only to immediately wanted to facepalm. Benn could just as well be only polite; social conventions advised against him saying no at the request.

Sighing, Shanks opted for staring out of the window. His disability to talk to Benn like he was a normal human being came rushing back. Perhaps fate only tried to mock him, after all.

From the corner of his eye, Shanks observed Benn. He looked older – obviously – and more rugged than Shanks remembered, but he was no less gorgeous. Shanks had no idea if he was into men, but even if he wasn’t, Shanks decided they should at least be friends.

“We went to college together,” he said bluntly, and rolled his eyes at himself. He could have eased Benn into the conversation, or started at least like he only just realised that Benn might look familiar.

The corner of Benn’s mouth curled up in a smile. “I know.”

Shanks was taken aback by that a little. He had expected to have to remind Benn how they knew each other. Apparently, Benn had recognised him as well.

Trying to cover up his bafflement, Shanks cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair. “So, how have you been then?”

“I’m doing alright.” Benn’s dark eyes pierced into Shanks’, and Shanks could feel his mouth go dry. “How are you?”

Casually, or at least hoping he looked casual, Shanks grabbed his bottle of water from his broken briefcase and took a sip to rid himself of his dry mouth. “I’m doing okay. Got a job and everything.” He managed a smirk.

“Looks like you need a new briefcase,” Benn remarked, looking at the broken handle.

Shanks scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. “Yeah, it broke just now when it was stuck between people.”

“You should wait until people exiting the train have left before entering,” Benn said amusedly.

“I was trying to exit.”

Benn’s eyebrow rose.

“I was supposed to go off at the previous station,” Shanks explained. “But the train drove off before I could exit the train.”

“So you’ll try to catch the next train back at the next station?”

“Perhaps.” Shanks looked up with what he hoped was a seductive look. “Or maybe I’ll get off some other time.”

Benn’s eyes widened slightly at that barely concealed innuendo. “Well,” he then said, “you should always get off at your destination. But if you can’t, the journey should be worth it.”

A smirk stretched across Shanks’ face. Benn was flirting right back at him, wasn’t he? In any case, this was an interesting development.

“What about your destination?” Shanks inquired, leaning with his elbow on the small table between them, and resting his head on his hand.

“That depends on what you mean. Next stop is where I need to get off the train, but my final destination is flexible,” Benn replied. “I’m trying to enjoy the journey, though.”

Shanks flashed him another grin. “I have a feeling this might be a very pleasant journey, don’t you?”

Benn smirked.

They talked for the remainder of the train ride, and Shanks ended up sitting next to Benn. It turned out Benn knew Yasopp, one of Shanks’ closest friends as well, and, apparently, Shanks and Benn had missed each other at Yasopp’s birthday.

The next station was announced, and Benn rose to take his suitcase from the luggage rack. He had just returned from a business trip, he had told Shanks. Together, they exited the train, Shanks having his broken briefcase clutched under his arm.

When they arrived in the terminal hall, Benn cast a look on the departure board and sighed. “It seems like a train back for you leaves in three minutes. You can still catch it.”

“I _could_ ,” Shanks said pensively. “Or… I could enjoy the journey a little longer.”

Benn perked up at that.

“I was considering taking a mini-vacation here, anyway,” Shanks continued. “If you know a place where I can stay…?”

Benn smirked slightly. “Perhaps dinner first?”

Shanks couldn’t help the grin that stretched across his face. “Dinner sounds good. But I had something else in mind to try first.” Before Benn could respond, Shanks grabbed the back of his head and pulled him close.

Their lips met, and Benn didn’t do anything to stop Shanks. Rather, he pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around Shanks’ waist.

Shanks pulled back slightly and smirked. “I’d say this is my favourite part of the journey.”

Benn mirrored his expression. “Perhaps you’re speaking too soon.” He took Shanks’ hand and started leading him away. “After all, we haven’t reached our destination yet.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Things you said [make your own] -> when we nearly lost it all", requested by arzani92  
> Inspired by "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

Another wave slammed him against the railing of the ship, knocking the air out of his lungs. Even this modern steel ship was no match for the rage of the sea. Benn held on to the railing, trying to see anything through the rain lashing against his face. At least two of his fellow sailors had gone overboard, never to be seen again.

Benn knew he had to go inside, but a nagging feeling in the back of his head withheld him from doing so. Call it instinct, but Benn felt like this ship wouldn’t make it to shore. And if he was inside, like his crewmembers, he would certainly drown. And dying wasn’t an option for him. Not here, not now. Not when he still hadn’t fulfilled his promise to Shanks.

One more journey, he had said. One more, and they could be together. He would never know why Shanks had accepted that, had waited for him all these years, but now, Benn couldn’t wait to be back home, where Shanks was.

They had lost cargo already, and when a shrieking sound cut through the air, even drowning out the thunder, Benn knew it was over. The hull of the ship had been damaged, and Benn was sure it wouldn’t take long until the ship would keel over.

* * *

Benn’s eyes fluttered open. He felt a pressure on his chest, and many people were talking. It was still dark around him, but the rain had stopped. Blue and red lights flashed on his left. The pressure on his chest stopped, and Benn choked up some salty water, retching because of the awful taste.

Turning his head, he saw several police cars and ambulances standing. Above him hovered a worried looking face, and Benn was handed an oxygen mask. Only now he realised how cold he was, despite, apparently, been wrapped in blankets. Still, he lifted up his head to see what the hell was going on. He wasn’t dead, that much was clear, but that was about as much as he could make of the situation.

He wanted to remove his oxygen mask, but the nurse stopped him, shaking his head. “Your ship has capsized. They’re looking for survivors.” He nodded his head in the direction of the see, where Benn could make out lights, floating around.

His question must have been obvious, as the nurse continued, “You’re the only one washed ashore. Well, the only one _alive_ …” His voice trailed off, and, sadly, he turned back to the sea.

Suddenly, Benn felt incredibly tired. His eyes closed automatically as he fought to stay wake. He should help look for his crewmates. He should…

* * *

The next time he woke up was in the hospital. He had a disgusting taste in his mouth and was glad to find out a glass of water was standing ready for him.

His possessions were lying on the bed stand next to him. His wallet had been emptied, and the money he had, along with cards, had been dried. His phone was disassembled, probably also to dry.

The parts were feeling dry, so Benn decided to assemble the device again. His friends always made fun of his old phone, but when the screen lighted up, Benn couldn’t wait to rub it into their faces. Okay, so maybe he couldn’t go on the internet, or even put music on it, and really the device only worked for calling and texting, but if it could survive a storm on sea, Benn was keeping it.

He had several missed calls, a few from an unknown number, but the others were from Yasopp and Roo.

Benn frowned. Those two hardly ever called him, let alone twenty times. Shanks was the impatient one, and still Benn thought it was an emergency when Shanks called him several times in a row. He couldn’t be reached on sea for obvious reasons, so he had told Shanks that he would call when he could, but that didn’t stop Shanks from trying.

Now, however, Shanks hadn’t called him, not even once, and for some reason, that was more ominous to Benn than twenty missed calls from him.

He decided to call Shanks first, but the feeling of dread only intensified when Shanks didn’t answer his phone. He tried to calm himself down; Shanks could have forgotten to charge his phone or something. Those modern devices ran out of juice in no time, after all.

Only Shanks wasn’t one to forget such a thing, as his phone was very important to him. And Benn knew he himself was a large part of that reason.

After a few failed attempts to reach Shanks, because Benn refused to believe it, he tried Yasopp’s number. Fortunately, Yasopp picked up only after one ring.

“Benn, thank goodness!”

Benn couldn’t remember having ever heard him sound so distressed. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. It’s Shanks.”

Benn felt like someone thrown a bucket of ice water over him. Taking a deep breath, he tried to keep calm as he asked, “What happened?”

It wasn’t the first time Shanks was in trouble, he told himself. It would be okay.

“He was in a car accident. He survived, but…” Yasopp hesitated. “He was driving with that boy, Luffy, when another car hit them. He dove onto Luffy to protect him.”

“Is the boy okay?” Benn demanded.

“He is fine. Just a few cuts and bruises, but he’s skipping around again already. Shanks, however… His arm was stuck in the car wreck. It… It couldn’t be saved. They had to amputate it to get him out of the car.” Yasopp’s voice quivered slightly.

Benn was silent for a moment to let the news sink in. Shanks was okay, knowing him, losing an arm wouldn’t dampen his mood. But still, Shanks needed him right now.

“I’m on my way,” Benn said curtly, and hung up. He would only need to find the nearest airport.

* * *

Benn stood in the doorway of anther hospital, looking into the room. Yasopp and Roo were sitting next to Shanks.

Even though he didn’t move his head, Benn was certain Shanks had noticed him first. Roo followed his gaze and turned to Benn, as smirk on his round face.

“You’re getting yelled at,” he said teasingly to Shanks, who just smiled.

Ysaopp and Roo left the room, the former placing his hand on Benn’s shoulder for a moment as he passed. Benn sighed and entered the room.

Shanks was pale, his face covered in plasters that didn’t hide the bruises. Despite everything, he grinned at Benn. “Good to see you, buddy.”

Benn gave him an unamused look as he took a seat, but then his face softened and he smiled. “You saved his life, I hear.”

Shanks shrugged, and then winced in pain. “They were aiming for me. Not the boy. He shouldn’t have been there.”

Benn’s eyes softened.

“Don’t be like that.” Shanks gave him a playful punch against the shoulder. “I’m fine. It’s just an arm, and the rest will heal.”

Benn took Shanks’s unharmed hand in his and inspected it, before pressing it against his cheek. “You don’t have to pretend for me. I know you’re in pain. And I don’t just mean physically.”

The smile fell from Shanks’ face and he sighed.

They stayed silent for a moment, until Shanks looked up again. “What about you?”

Benn, who was still holding Shanks’ hand, now pressed against his forehead, looked up. “What about me?”

“I read about the ship wreck. Just because it happened on the other side of the globe, doesn’t mean that I don’t find out. Just a handful of survivors. I knew you had to be one of them because… You just had to be.”

Benn smiled sadly and sat down next to Shanks on the bed. He pressed their foreheads together. Shanks closed his eyes as Benn intertwined his fingers with the red strands.

“It seems like we nearly lost it all,” Benn whispered.

Shanks hummed in agreement and opened his eyes again. “And that while we could have had it all.”

Benn could feel Shanks’ warm breath against his skin. He was back, here with Shanks, and it was time to fulfil his promise. “We still can.”

Shanks only had to tilt his head when Benn’s lips met his.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Why do you have to be so reckless?", requested by Lunarshores
> 
> Three-sentence fic

“Why do you have to be so reckless?” Shanks said grinning, trying to suppress the hiccup that threatened to escape because of the excess amount of alcohol he had consumed.

Okay, so maybe it hadn’t been the best idea for two centaurs to enter a bar clearly designed for humans, but a bar had booze, and Shanks had wanted to drink, preferably with his best friend/lover Benn, who tried to get to the good stuff by placing his front hooves on the bar and reaching up, when the whole lot had come down, and Benn had only his quick reflexes to thank for the fact that none of the bottles had hit him in the head.

Benn moved backwards, trying not step on the glass, and gave the terrified looking owner of the bar an apologetic nod, before he turned back to Shanks and said, “Next time, let’s find some other place.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: ShanksBenn and telephone calls, requested by anon
> 
> Three sentence fic

“Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up!” Shanks muttered into his phone as the dial tone sounded once again, but when he finally heard the click of the person on the other line picking up, him mouth went dry, and he cursed himself for not rehearsing his lines a little more, because when he heard Benn’s voice again, he immediately became weak in the knees, as Benn had that effect on him, and apparently it didn’t lessen over the phone.

“Hi, it’s Shanks,” he managed to say, when Benn seemed to start to doubt if anyone was on the line, hating how lame he sounded, and he tried to recall what he was going to say, taking a deep breath before continuing with a more steady voice, “you gave me your business card last week,” he had of course waited a few days not to seem desperate, “in case I needed you, and I seem to have a problem, I made a reservation for two and I’m only one.”

It was cheesy, but it had been the best he could come up with in the past days, so he just rolled with it, though it stayed silent on the other end of the line for a very long time, and Shanks was sure he had fucked up, when Benn’s deep voice chuckled and said, “What time will you pick me up then?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: ShanksBenn, stars and wishes, requested by Arzani92
> 
> Three sentence fic

“So what did you wish for?” Shanks asked Benn after the meteor shower they have been watching was over, and toyed with his bottle of booze in his hand.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Benn said with a smirk and ruffled his captain’s hair, “you know they won’t come true if you tell them.”

“You’re so superstitious,” Shanks huffed, before a mischievous smirk appeared on his face and he said, “I’m just gonna make them come true,” before diving on top of Benn and kissing him senseless.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Shanks/Buggy: Things you said over the phone, reuqested by Vergina-spva
> 
> (Also posted in the collection "What I've Done" because officially, this was supposed to be Shanks/Buggy, but turned ShanksBenn)

Shanks was a bit rusty when it came to dating, more so than he had imagined. He had dated quite a lot before he had met Marco, and they had only broken up recently after dating for five years, when they realised the spark was gone.

Perhaps it was a bit too early, but Shanks was ashamed to admit that he may have already had a tiny crush on Benn, who worked in his favourite bookstore – which not just his favourite because of Benn, mind you – before he had properly broken up with Marco, but he had never done anything about it. Also, he knew Marco had his eye on someone else as well, which was the decisive factor to break up.

All had gone well, and Benn had agreed to go out with him after what had to be the most embarrassing way of asking someone out. Shanks had stuttered, used the lamest pick-up lines ever, and, to cap it all, he had leaned against a stack of books, which had fallen over along with himself. In all, Shanks had no idea why Benn had agreed to go out with him, but here they were, dining in a fancy restaurant and sweating, or maybe that was just Shanks.

Shit, he was out of shape.

Benn, on the other hand, was charming as fuck, and once again, Shanks wondered why Benn had agreed to date a goofball like him.

However, as the evening passed, Shanks was starting to feel more at ease when he noticed that Benn genuinely liked him and wasn’t just being polite. Maybe Shanks hadn’t lost his touch.

As dessert was drawing near, Shanks started to wonder if he should take Benn home – or make sure he was invited into Benn’s home, he didn’t care either way. They had a great time, seemed to connect well, and on top of that, Benn was ridiculously hot. Shanks would love to tear off that tight fitting shirt and–

Well, let’s not get into that.

He couldn’t decide if it was too soon, so he excused himself to get some advice. Of course, he didn’t tell Benn that, he needed to look smooth even if he had already ruined that before, but tonight he was.

He retreated to the men’s room, swaying his hips a little more than necessary, and much to his delight, he saw in a mirror hanging on the restaurant’s wall that Benn was following his movements with his eyes.

When he arrived in the men’s room, however, and patted himself down, he realised that he had left his phone in his jacket. He slapped himself on the forehead. How was he supposed to call Yasopp now? Yasopp always had the answer for anything.

Fortunately, he knew his friend’s number by heart, and he remembered seeing payphones next to the bathrooms.

He snuck outside again, peering around the corner to see if Benn was paying attention, but he seemed to be reading the menu.

Shanks dug up some change from his pocket – because that he had, but he didn’t have his phone – and quickly dialled Yasopp’s number.

When he heard the click of someone answering, he didn’t take the time to greet his friend properly. “Oi, it’s me. I’m on a date now with a really hot guy, and it’s our first date, but I really want to take him home. You think I should?”

It stayed quiet on the other side of the line for a bit.

“Did you hear me? Do I take this guy to bed or not?” Shanks asked impatiently. He had turned his face to the wall, making himself as small as possible so that Benn wouldn’t notice him, but he needed to hurry.

Finally, a voice sounded on the other end of the line. “Huh?”

Wait, did he dial right?

“Er, Yasopp?” he tried carefully.

“No,” it sounded slowly on the other end of the line.

Shanks slapped against his forehead again. He really liked to mess up with this, didn’t he?

No, he wouldn’t let Benn slip through his fingers.

“So what do you think then?” he asked apparently at a stranger. He really was desperate. “Do I take him home or what?”

“Eh,” the voice on the other end of the line said helpfully, “do _you_ think you should?”

“That’s no help! I _want_ to, of course I want to. You should see him, he’s gorgeous.” Shanks leaned against the wall and sighed as he stared at Benn.

“Well, then I guess you should,” the voice said, sounding a little uncomfortable.

“Really? ‘Cause it’s our first date, and I just got out of a five year relationship. Don’t you think it’s too soon?”

“Then I guess you shouldn’t,” the stranger said.

“I don’t want to ruin things by going to too fast.” Shanks sighed and let himself slide down the wall. “Do you think I’m going too fast?”

“Eh,” came the reply.

“Maybe I am doing the right thing by waiting, who knows,” Shanks muttered.

“Who has a big red nose?!” the stranger suddenly shouted in his ear.

Shanks held the receiver away from his ear. “Er, I said ‘who knows’.”

He heard some muttering on the other end of the line.

“Anyway,” Shanks continued the conversation, “what would you do?”

There was a silence at the other end of the line. Then the stranger suddenly started yelling. “What would I do? What would I do?! How about I wouldn’t call a stranger and start asking them for advice! I wouldn’t have an entire conversation on the phone while this dream date of mine is waiting! I would go see where the night would take me!”

Shanks was slightly taken aback to be hauled over coals like that, as the stranger still slightly panted from his rant. Then, a smile appeared on his face. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“Huh?” the stranger said. “It’s Buggy. But whaddaya want to know that for?”

Shanks smiled as he rose to his feet and looked at the table Benn was sitting. “Because I think I owe you a beer.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: ShanksBenn - flying, requested by Arzani92
> 
> Three sentence fic
> 
> (Inspired by the NGC game Baten Kaitos, because I have played that way too much lately XD)

Shanks probably shouldn’t have snuck into the Empire, but when he heard they had technology to make artificial wings, he had to try to find it, since he couldn’t fly with the one he had left after having lost the other in an accident. 

However, his trip had been very well worth it, as he had met scientist Benn, who had installed the artificial wing and was currently running beside him away for the soldiers of the Empire, as he was accused of treason for helping an outlaw like Shanks. 

They reached the harbour, with nothing but sky beneath and in front of them, for the islands floated in the sky, and Shanks grabbed Benn, holding him tightly, because it was time to put Benn’s skills to the test as they jumped into the deep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: ShanksBenn, palace - requested by ImperialMint
> 
> Three sentence fic

“Your Majesty?” Shanks could hear one of the servants say and dove deeper into his hiding place, his crown casually thrown on the bed of the royal bedroom as he peeked through the crack in the door of the wardrobe while his servants were looking everywhere for him. 

After a while, they left, and Shanks sighed in relief, but didn’t dare to come out yet, as this was the only place in the palace where he wouldn’t be found, because he needed a little rest from governing, but suddenly the door of the room opened again, and Shanks was about to crawl deeper into the closet, when he heard a familiar deep voice say, “You can come out now.”

With a less than elegant smack, Shanks fell out of the closet and onto the floor, where he smiled sheepishly up at his first minister Benn, who helped him up, shaking his head, but still grinned as he said, “It’s about time you came out of the closet.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: ShanksBenn, nude model - requested by Arzani92
> 
> Three sentence fic

Being a nude model was all fun and games until an over eager art student had almost his nose in your crotch to get the contours of your dick just right, and Shanks really had to think about other things, because said art student was rather goodlooking and not someone Shanks would mind in that area, be it that this wasn’t _that_ kind of art class. 

Trying to keep it light, he remarked.”Shouldn’t you buy me a drink first?”, but immediately regretted that, because the art student looked up and gave him a smirk that suggested other things, good things, things Shanks suddenly very much wanted to happen, yet had to think about the one time he accidentally walked in on Roo dancing the macarena, because the art student hadn’t moved away from his crotch. 

“How about afterwards?” the student suggested, still smirking, and added, “I’m Benn, by the way,” and Shanks could barely manage to stammer out his own name before the teacher announced class was over.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Shanksbenn “Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.”, requested by Arzani92

 

Benn rolled his eyes when cameras flashed in his face the moment he stepped out of the house. His colleagues in uniform tried to keep the journalists away, but Benn still had to go through them to get to his car.

Several microphones were shoved under his nose as soon as he stepped underneath the crime scene tape.

“What can you tell us about the theft?”

“How much was stolen?”

“Has the same thief struck again?”

“No comment,” Benn grouched and pushed them aside. He was surprised not to find a certain red haired reporter amongst the other journalists. Usually, he was the first to ask questions and the most persistent of the lot.

Most of the journalists and reporters gave up soon enough, and finally, they had all slunk away. Nonetheless, Benn was glad to make it to his car.

He was less pleased to see that the red haired reporter, Shanks, was leaning against his vehicle, a smirk on his face.

“I’m not telling you anything,” Benn grouched. “Now get your ass of my car.”

“You sure you don’t want to share, detective?” Shanks asked, his smirk never wavering, but he did stop leaning against Benn’s car.

“You know the drill. An official statement will be made and you can ask all the questions you like then.”

“I don’t want to talk to a spokesman. You never make such announcements, and I want to talk to you,” Shanks replied.

“I don’t like cameras,” Benn grouched.

“I don’t have one.”

Benn pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can’t you just disappear?”

Shanks grinned again. “Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.”

Benn sighed. “I don’t remember asking for that. Just get lost, alright? I haven’t slept in two days and I’d like to go home now.”

“Home alone, you mean?”

“At least I have some peace and quiet there,” Benn muttered.

“I don’t think what you do is healthy,” Shanks stated.

“I don’t care what you think.”

Shanks shook his head with a smile. “You’re a bit of a cliché, aren’t you? Grumpy detective, married to the job, no friends outside of work… I’m really the only non-cop you interact with on a regular basis. Correct me if I’m wrong.”

Benn pushed him aside as he stepped into the car. “You’re wrong,” he said, before closing the door and driving away.

Shanks huffed and called after him, “I said _correct_ me!”

* * *

Benn was filling out the paperwork when the phone rang. The desk clerk told him that someone from another unit needed to speak to him, so he told him to put them through.

“Good morning,” Shanks’ voice sounded cheerfully.

Benn groaned. “You know I could arrest you for impersonating an officer?”

“Hey, I had to tell them something. If they knew I’m a journalist, they wouldn’t have put me through to you. Besides, I was impersonating a secretary, I doubt there are laws against that,” Shanks said.

“I’m not telling you anything about the art thief,” Benn said with a sigh.

“I’m not calling for that.”

Benn leaned back in his desk chair, slightly surprised. “You’re not?”

“I wanted to see if you would be interested in going out with me.”

Benn narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Is this a weird way of trying to pry information out of me?”

“No, it’s quite a normal way of asking you out,” Shanks replied. “I could try it weirder if you’re more into that, though.”

“No, that’s alright. Why would I want to go out with you, though?” Benn asked as he fiddled with a pen.

“Well, obviously you work long hours and don’t get out much, so the chances of meeting someone else are slim. Besides, I work irregular hours as well, so I’m not put off by that.”

“So, what you’re saying is that you’re pretty much my only option,” Benn concluded, secretly amused.

“That, and you have the hots for me,” Shanks stated matter-of-factly.

“Is that so?”

“Obviously. If you’d have found me half as annoying as you pretend to, you’d have punched me in the face already, or taken out a restraining order,” Shanks said, sounding rather triumphant.

Benn played with the cord of the phone, a smile on his lips. “You think you’ve got me all figured out, don’t you?”

“Not entirely. I’m not a hundred percent sure I didn’t overstepped any boundaries here. The fact that you haven’t hung up yet is a good sign, but…”

Benn smiled as he sat up in his chair. “Then how about we discuss your boundary issues over dinner tonight?”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: ShanskBenn - “You did all of this for me?”, requested by Arzani92

Benn had never thought he would spend so much time in a courtroom. He had lived a quiet, peaceful life, paying his taxes in time, working, saving up to buy a house. He had finally found one he could afford and was pleased with, when it turned out the contractor he had hired to fix the place up a bit had scammed him, using cheap material that had fallen apart, and stolen his money.

Benn had wanted to sue them, but without money, he couldn’t do anything about it.

That was, until an angel had appeared on his path, in the form of a successful lawyer, who for some reason decided to take his case pro bono. Benn had met Shanks through Makino, a friend of his, who told him that Shanks had helped her out as well.

Benn hadn’t realised that this was the same Shanks who was the best, but therefore also most expensive lawyer in the city. He could hardly believe he would be interested in Benn’s case. Still, Shanks, who was the most charming and charismatic man Benn had ever met – not to mention the handsomest – had assured him he would take Benn’s case for free.

Right now, the trial was almost over, and Benn had never thought he would have so much confidence to win, and he wouldn’t have, had Shanks not been by his side. Not only had he used his charming smile on the judge, he had also done his homework and found other victims of the contractor.

In all, Benn felt confident to win, and he owed it all to Shanks.

When the judge came back in and announced that the contractor had to pay for restorations, return all Benn’s money, pay a fine and a suspended sentence in jail, Benn could only throw his arms around Shanks’ neck and hug him tightly.

Shanks laughed and slapped him amicably on his back. “It’s quite alright.”

“You did all of this for me,” Benn said hoarsely. “How can I ever thank you?”

Shanks made himself loose out of Benn’s embrace. “How about you take me out to dinner once you get your money back?”

Benn grinned. “Absolutely.”

“Great,” Shanks said with a grin. “And who knows, perhaps I can take another case of you pro boner.”

Benn blinked, wondering if he had heard him correctly. “Did you just…?”

Shanks merely waggled his eyebrows and then left to talk to lawyer of the contractor.

Benn shook his head, but kept staring at Shanks with a smile on his face even when Makino hugged him tightly to congratulate him with his victory.

Perhaps his money back wasn’t the only thing he would get out of this trial.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: ShanksBenn - “If you die, I’m gonna kill you.”, requested by Arzani92
> 
> Semi-continuation of [chapter 13]()
> 
> Warnings: mentions of drug dealers, mention of murder, loss of limbs, blood

“Do you really have to go?” Shanks asked as Benn put on his bulletproof vest.

“Of course I do. It’s my job to catch bad guys, after all.” Benn made sure he could reach his gun if necessary – which it probably would be. After months of pursuing drug dealers for murder, they had finally found the abandoned warehouse where they hid and dealt. As leader of the investigation, Benn would be in charge of the raid, which no doubt would be dangerous.

Shanks was the one who had brought him the lead. As journalist, he knew people in places Benn couldn’t even imagine, but he was grateful for the tip.

They had been dating for a while now, and this wasn’t the first time they realised they both had dangerous professions.

“You know that if you die, I’m gonna kill you, right?” Shanks said. He made it sound like a joke, but Benn heard the serious undertone in his voice.

He nodded.

* * *

The raid was a success. Benn had arrested the culprits without losing any of his people. There were a few injuries, but nothing serious.

After he had put the drug dealers in jail and had been applauded for his efforts by his team, he went to his desk to call Shanks and give him the good news. Of course, there would be a press conference, though Benn wouldn’t be the spokesman, but Shanks had brought them the lead, so he deserved to have the scoop.

However, on his desk, Benn found an envelope with his name written on it in Shanks’ handwriting. Frowning, he opened it and took out the letter.

‘ _Benn,_

_There is more to this story than I initially thought. The guys you have caught are only middleman, and the big fish are still in hiding. I got a tip about where to find them, so I’m off to investigate it. I’ll let you know when I know more._

_Don’t wait up, it might be late. Actually, don’t expect me back for a few days. Yes, I’ll be careful. I knew you were gonna say that._

_Shanks’_

Benn grit his teeth and crumpled the letter. That idiot went after drug dealers on his own, while earlier that day, he had made Benn promise to be careful.

Benn would have to find him before it was too late.

* * *

Two weeks passed in which Benn didn’t hear from Shanks, not even the smallest hint that he was still alive. Benn had tried to find him, but the attitude of his co-workers told him that none of them thought Shanks was still alive.

It was in the middle of the night that he startled awake. He wasn’t sure if he had heard something or not, so he lied still and listened. He lived in an old house, so some creaking was normal, but when the doorknob of his bedroom turned, Benn grabbed his nightstick tightly. He pretended to sleep until the door opened and the culprit came in, before siting up, ready to pound on the intruder’s head with his nightstick.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Even in the dark, he could recognise Shanks’ silhouette. Hastily, he turned on the light on his nightstand.

Shanks grinned at him, as he had done so many times before, but somehow, it didn’t seem to reach his eyes. He was clutching with one hand at his side, and Benn feared he was wounded, when he realised Shanks’ wound wasn’t at his side.

He was missing an arm.

Benn could only stare at him, the clock ticking away the seconds, while Shanks smiled sheepishly.

“Wha…” Benn finally managed to bring out. “What the hell happened?!”

Shanks sighed and sunk down on the bed. “I found the source. Don’t worry, your team is arresting them as we speak.”

“That is not what I fucking meant! You just barge in here, missing a limb, and you think I care about drug dealers?!” Benn closed his eyes and tried to remain calm. This wasn’t the time to lose his head. When he opened his eyes again, Shanks was looking at him, a soft smile on his lips.

“Don’t worry about it. It was worth it. The boy is okay.”

Benn wasn’t sure what boy, but things suddenly started to make sense. Shanks had lost his arm protecting someone, a child, it seemed. That was just the type of guy he was.

Without a word, Benn rose from the bed and walked around it to the side where Shanks was sitting. He started to unbutton his blood soaked shirt.

The bandages around what remained of Shanks’ arm seemed fresh, so at least the idiot had seen a doctor. Benn still decided to change them and disinfect the wound. While he was working, neither of them spoke.

When he was done, he pulled Shanks into bed with him, wrapping his arm around his torso.

Shanks took a deep, shaky breath, before burying his face in Benn’s pyjama shirt.

Benn just held him close. Shanks would tell him what exactly had happened in the past two weeks in the morning, but for now, Benn was happy he was still alive and in his arms again.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: ShanksBenn, "You lied to me", requested by Arzani92

“You lied to me,” Shanks whined, but he was already trapped. 

Yasopp and Roo had lured him into the car under false pretences, namely, that they would go out drinking – Shanks should have seen it was a trap since it was early afternoon and most people didn’t drink then, but who was he to pass up free booze? 

Yet now it turned out they had brought him to a doctor, while he was perfectly fine! Sure, he had had this cough for a while now, but surely that wasn’t something a glass of alcohol couldn’t fix – well, actually, it was, since he had tried that quite a few times already. But hey, fiftieth time’s the charm, right? 

So this trip was definitely for naught, and Shanks just didn’t want to waste his friends’ time. That was it. It was definitely not like he was afraid of the doctor.

But clinging to the car seat didn’t work and eventually, Roo held him underneath his arms while Yasopp had his feet as they carried him inside the building. Struggling didn’t seem to work, so Shanks gave up and hung limply as he was kidnapped. 

In the waiting room, he was placed on a chair and pouted, when he noticed that there were an awful lot of kids waiting there. “Wait a minute,” he said slowly. “Did you take me to a pediatrician?!”

“We may have,” Yasopp replied while Roo just grinned. 

“I’m not a damn child!” Shanks exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. When he noticed several parents covering their child’s ears, he realised he probably should mind his language. “I’m not a child.”

“Really? ‘Cause we carried you inside kicking and screaming,” Yasopp said, his arms crossed before his chest.

“And you bit the last doctor we took you to,” Roo helpfully reminded. 

“I didn’t bite him… hard,” Shanks huffed. “And that still doesn’t give you the right to take me here. I’m leaving.” He made for the door, but before he could reach it, he was tackled by Roo, who could be surprisingly fast if he wanted to. Roo sat down on him, and Shanks figured that even if he hadn’t needed a doctor before, he might now. That didn’t mean he would let them take him, though. 

“Get off me! I’m fine! I’m fi–” A coughing fit interrupted his protests, and Roo moved off him. 

“Shanks Red?” a deep voice called.

“Here!” Yasopp immediately replied, taking advantage of Shanks incapability to talk right now. 

Roo slung Shanks over his shoulder like he weighed nothing before Shanks could make a run for it again, and he was carried inside the doctor’s office.   
Roo placed him not too gently into a chair, before leaving the office. 

“Try not to bite,” Yasopp warned. “We’ll wait outside.”

Shanks crossed his arms before his chest and pouted while he looked around the doctor’s office, which was awfully colourful.

“You’re a bit taller than I expected,” the doctor said, sounding slightly amused. 

“Yeah, well, those bastards–” Shanks cut himself off when he turned around to see the doctor. The man was absolutely gorgeous. He didn’t look like the type who worked with kids, yet entirely in place at the same time. He was handsome in a rugged way, with greying hair and dark eyes. 

“My friends are just messing with me,” Shanks finally muttered. 

The doctor chuckled. “I’m Dr Benn Beckman, Dr Benn to most of my patients. Since you’re here now, what’s the problem?”

“Nothing, I’m fine. Though I may have broken something when Roo sat on me,” he added. 

“If you’re fine, why did your friends go to this much trouble?” Benn inquired. 

“They’re just overly concerned. I just have this cough and–”

“Since when?” Benn interrupted. 

Shanks sighed. “I don’t know, a few weeks?”

“Unbutton your shirt.”

Shanks looked up at the doctor, his lips quirked into a smirk. “Usually people buy me dinner first.”

Benn seemed amused as well. “Usually my patients are rewarded with candy afterwards.”

Shanks smirked and started to unbutton. “Alright then.”

“That is provided you don’t bite,” Benn added. 

Shanks’ cheeks flushed. “That was one time!”

“Well, I can’t say I’ve never been bitten before by a patient before,” Benn said with a sigh and put his stethoscope in his ears. Suddenly, he was sitting very close as he pressed the instrument against Shanks’ chest. “Take a deep breath.” 

Shanks did as he was told.

“Now cough.”

He did so, only to immediately have a coughing fit. 

Benn hummed and rose. “Drink a lot of tea with honey for a while and keep your chest warm.” He walked over to his desk.

“I can do that. See, I knew it was nothing serious.” Shanks plopped up his feet in the desk and smirked. “Oi, Doc, I think you owe me something.”

Benn snorted and took a lollipop out of his drawer, which he passed to Shanks.

“Not the kind of candy I had in mind, but I’ll take it.” Shanks waggled suggestively with his eyebrows as he put the lollipop in his mouth. 

“Well, if it doesn’t get any better, you should see a doctor again.” Benn sat down in his desk chair. “But I would recommend seeing a different one next time.”

Shanks took the lollipop out of his mouth. “Why? I get free candy here and you haven’t given me a reason to bite you.”

“I’d like to change that.”

Shanks’ eyebrows rose in surprise.

Benn coughed to cover his embarrassment of that slip of the tongue. “I mean, it would be inappropriate to ask out a patient. And in my case, usually very disturbing, so I can safely say that this is the first time I’ve considered it,” he added hastily. 

“So, you’re asking me out?” Shanks asked. 

“As someone who happens to be a doctor to someone who is not their patient, yes,” Benn said.

Shanks smirked. “Well, if it’s doctor’s orders, who am I to argue that?”

Benn wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to Shanks. 

Shanks smirked when he saw it was a phone number. “Thanks, Doc,” he said with a smirk as he rose. “I’ll be sure to get my medicine.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Arzani92
> 
> Christmas!fic

Benn smiled as he held the door open for Shanks, who, as always, scurried inside at the last possible moment, though he was later than usual. The library closed earlier today, as it was Christmas Eve, so perhaps Shanks hadn’t taken that into account.

Benn didn’t mind that much. It wasn’t like he had much else to do besides working, as he didn’t have a family to entertain, which was why he was the last person here. The other librarians had been happy to shirk their work at him.

Shanks took off his hat and shook the snow off his clothes on the mat. Benn had to admit he looked rather cute with his cheeks flushed by the cold.

“Sorry I’m late, I just had to have this book over Christmas and since you’re closed then…” Shanks trailed off and smiled sheepishly.

“It’s okay, just go get it,” Benn said with a smile.

“Thanks.” Shanks beamed at him and hastened himself to a corner of the library.

Benn followed him with his eyes and sighed, smiling. Shanks came in every other day to borrow a book, even though he couldn’t possibly finish them that fast, or he would have to have a lot of free time on his hands.

Benn shook his head at his wishful thinking. Of course Shanks didn’t come in to see him, even though his smile always made Benn’s day.

He eyed the corner Shanks had disappeared in one more time before locking the door – to prevent more people from coming in – and sitting behind the counter, so he could check out the book that was apparently quite important to Shanks. While he was waiting, his mind drifted to all the times Shanks had come in near closing time, when the library wasn’t too busy anymore. He always knew something to chat about, but it never had become personal. They hadn’t even been formally introduced, and the only reason Benn knew Shanks’ name was because it was written on his library card.

He was started from his thoughts by a loud noise. It sounded like a lot of heavy things fell down. Dreading what he would find, Benn hastened himself to the corner where Shanks had disappeared to.

Much to his relief, Shanks seemed to be unharmed, but he stared wide-eyed at Benn, surrounded by books. One of the bookcases had fallen over, but fortunately, it was stopped from falling to the ground by a beam. The books, however, had all fallen out.

“Are you okay?” Benn asked Shanks, who still stood frozen.

“Y-yeah, I could jump aside in time. But I’m so sorry! I tripped and fell against it when it fell over,” Shanks started to explain.

Benn took a few breaths to calm his racing heart. Shanks was okay, that was the most important. Benn had complained to the administration of the library several times that this bookcase wasn’t properly bolted to the floor.

“I’m sorry for making a mess,” Shanks said sighing and combed with his hand through his hair.

Somehow, that gesture was very distracting, and it took a moment before Benn realised he had said something. “Oh, that’s fine. It’s not your fault.”

“Maybe not, but it’s not fine,” Shanks replied with a frown. “It’s Christmas Eve. Isn’t your family waiting for you?”

“Nah, the only one waiting for me is my cat, and he’ll be indignant no matter what time I feed him,” Benn said as he tried to place the bookcase upright.

Shanks hastened to assist. “No plans for Christmas either?”

“Sorting books,” Benn said dryly.

“I’ll stay to help! Or come back tomorrow to do it,” Shanks said.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you have plans.”

“Not really.” Shanks scratched the back of his head. “It was supposed to be me, my buddies, and booze. But we can drink anywhere,” he added with a smirk. “I can ask them to help. Bolt that bookcase while we’re at it and anything.”

Benn considered his suggestion for a moment. “Are you sure?” he asked hesitantly.

“Absolutely. We’ll bring booze and food, and we’ll make a party here. Well, I know _technically_ we’re not allowed to eat in the library, but…”

“Sounds great,” Benn said with a smile. He hadn’t particularly looked forward to Christmas because he didn’t have anyone to celebrate with. Until now.

Shanks beamed at him. “Then I’ll meet you here at ten a.m. or so? We won’t start drinking then, of course,” he hastily added.

“Sure. I don’t feel like picking up books tonight anyway,” Benn said.

“So…” Shanks scratched the back of his head. “If you don’t have plans tonight, would you like to have a drink with me? If it’s okay with your cat, that is,” he hastily added.

Benn looked up from the mess of books surprised. “Are you serious?”

“Well, yeah. I wanted to ask you out for a while. That’s why I borrowed all those books, to talk to you. But it never seemed a good time. Well, this isn’t a good time either, obviously, since I just destroyed your library,” he gestured at the mess, “but if you say yes now, it must mean you really like me.” He grinned sheepishly.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Benn’s mouth. “I guess I do.”

“Is that a yes?”

Benn nodded.

A grin almost split Shanks’ face in half. “Great! I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced, though. I’m Shanks.”

“Benn.” He shook Shanks’ hand, which felt warm in his.

“Well then, Benn,” Shanks grinned at him, “merry Christmas.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Shanks and Benn deciding to built a snowman, and then it escalated into a snowball fight with warming up afterwards, requested by Arzani92

Benn looked out of the window of their apartment and sighed. The world had been covered with a thick layer of snow during the night, but now it finally seemed to have stopped snowing. The view sure was pretty, with the untouched blanket of snow covering the city, but in all honesty, Benn wasn’t much of a fan of winter. He didn’t like the cold and preferred to stay inside, curled up with a book on the couch.

However, he knew that today, he would be dragged outside no matter what.

“It snowed!” an excited voice came from the bedroom, and Benn shook his head with a smile. It would seem that Shanks was awake and ready to drag Benn outside.

Within a few minutes, Shanks stood before him, no longer in pyjamas, but wrapped up in a thick winter coat, a scarf, glove and a hat. Shanks’ eyes were sparkling, and he didn’t have to ask Benn the question burning on his lips for Benn to know what time it was. With a sigh, Benn put on his own coat.

Shanks was already practically hopping up and down at the door by the time Benn joined him. It made Benn smile. Shanks had two completely different sides about him; serious when necessary, but usually, he was playful and not afraid to release his inner child. It made Benn glad he had found Shanks.

Shanks all but dragged him outside by his hand, and as soon as they stood on the pavement, Shanks let himself fall into the snow, moving his legs and his one arm to make a snow angel. Sitting up and looking around, he frowned. “It kinda looks sad with just one wing. You make one, Benn.”

It was hard to resist a request from Shanks, and Benn knew he would do it sooner or later anyway, so he lowered himself into the snow next to Shanks to make another angel. Seeing Shanks smile like that made it worth the cold.

Shanks helped Benn up and nodded approvingly when he looked at Benn’s angel. “That’s much better. How about we make a snowman?” His eyes sparkled, and Benn found himself agreeing before realising it.

Benn couldn’t remember playing in the snow since he was a kid, but he had to admit he was having fun despite the cold. He helped Shanks roll balls of snow and placing them on top of each other. He was just putting the finishing touches to the snowman, when he felt something cold hit him. Turning around, he saw Shanks grinning at him, throwing up a snowball in his hand. Narrowing his eyes, Benn bent down to scoop up some snow, but before he could form a ball, Shanks hit him again, laughing loudly as he fled fearing for Benn’s revenge. Benn chased him, grabbing the back of his collar and putting the snowball down his shirt. Shanks let out a yelp, turning around and tackling Benn so they both fell into the snow.

Benn flipped them over so Shanks was the one lying on his back, leaning down to kiss him. Shanks let him, but just when Benn tilted his head to deepen the kiss, Shanks took his revenge and shoved snow down Benn’s pants. He pushed Benn off him and fled once more. He hid behind the snowman until Benn had caught up with him.

Benn had long forgotten he was cold, or that he hated winter. He didn’t hate it as long as he had Shanks. Both their cheeks were bright red from the cold and the effort of chasing each other. It was already starting to get dark when Benn realised they hadn’t even thought about eating all day.

Shanks smiled when he suggested they would head inside and took Benn’s hand in his gloved one. Inside, Benn immediately moved to the kitchen to make something to eat. They had some leftover soup, which he warmed up, and he placed a baguette in the oven. While those were heating up, he made chocolate milk for the both of them, adding a generous shot of rum to both mugs.

In the living room, Shanks was sitting on his knees in front of the fireplace, trying to get a fire going. He was clad in only pants, the rest of his clothes discarded on the floor. Benn placed the mugs on the coffee table and retreated to the bedroom to fetch his robe. His clothes were drenched, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Shanks was sipping from the chocolate milk when Benn entered again, the fire in the hearth crackling cheerfully. Benn sat down next to him, wrapping his arms around Shanks when he settled himself against Benn.

“Thank you,” he said softly as he played with Shanks’ hair. “I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed winter when I was a kid. The cold isn’t that bad.”

Shanks placed his mug on the coffee table and turned around to Benn, a mischievous grin on his face. “It’s not if you warm up properly after.”

As Benn let himself be pushed against the floor, he found himself hoping that the snow would still be there tomorrow.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: sea change, requested by Arzani92
> 
> Based on the French Revolution

His hands tied behind his back, Benn held his head high as he was ushered to the execution platform, despite the booing of the crowd when they saw him. The guillotine was standing ready, shimmering in the sunlight. If anything, Benn thought, this was a nice last day. At least it didn’t rain.

He had stopped walking to look at the sky once more, but was impatiently pushed forward with the back of the bayonet of the soldier walking behind him. The new regime wasn’t fond of the old aristocrats, even if Benn had always fought for the rights of the people. He chuckled darkly when he realised that he could have enjoyed his life over the backs of the people, like his peers had done, and it wouldn’t have made a difference. He would have been executed as well; perhaps the only difference would have been he would be dead by now, instead of walking towards it.

Once he was standing on the platform, he turned towards the crowd that had gathered to witness his death. The people yelled insults and obscenities at him, but Benn tuned them out. Since the revolution had started, he had been yelled at and spat at more times than he cared to count. He had been captured and thrown in jail, along with the rats and scum.

At least he could die knowing _he_ was safe. Shanks had escaped somehow, keeping a low profile, and, hopefully, had made it across the border now. Benn closed his eyes as he was pushed down on his knees in front of the guillotine. Shanks was the person who least deserved to die in such a manner. The guillotine was so effective that the revolutionaries had decided just to kill anyone of the aristocracy, which was how Benn ended up here. They didn’t care he had tried to make their lives better, that Shanks had done the same. They were the symbol of the old regime, so they had to die.

Benn was offered a blindfold, but he shook his head. His death would be swiftly anyway, so he’d rather enjoyed the look of the blue sky as long as he could.

Taking a deep breath, he placed his head underneath the guillotine.

A flash of red appeared in the corner of eye, and Benn pulled his head back before the soldier behind him could chain him in. _He wouldn’t…_

A figure appeared on the platform, knocking down the first soldier before he could act. A shadow covered the figure’s features, but his red hair was unmistakable. Benn couldn’t help but smile. He had really hoped Shanks had long since escaped, but he should have known he would attempt a silly rescue mission like this.

Two more men joined on the platform, and Benn was happy to recognise Yasopp and Roo.

The soldier behind him tried to push Benn’s head underneath the guillotine, trying to finish what they started, but Shanks pulled a revolver before he could, cutting the rope holding the enormous blade up with one shot. It fell down with a clang, and Benn winced at the thought that his head could have been under there. Feeling a trembling bayonet pocking in his back, Benn had to smile. Those revolutionaries weren’t so tough when they plans were foiled. He rose to his feet, kicking the bayonet out of the soldier’s hand. The soldier looked at him with fear in his eyes, despite the fact that Benn’s hands were still tied behind his back, and Benn realised how young he looked. The revolutionaries had probably forced him to do this. Benn couldn’t hurt him, not when he looked so frightened like that.

Yasopp and Roo made quick work of the remaining soldiers, but the crowd had recovered from the shock and tried to climb on to the stage as well. They wouldn’t let any aristocrats escape, and their bloodlust was nowhere near quenched.

“Retreat!” Shanks yelled over the noise, and Benn was quick to follow the others when they made a run for it. Horses were standing ready, and Benn didn’t complain when he was placed none too gently on the back of one by Roo. There was no time to undo his chains, so he would ride with someone. Shanks mounted behind Benn and dug his heels in the flanks of the horse. The animal immediately started to run. Yasopp and Roo followed on their own mounts close behind them.

Benn closed his eyes as he leaned back against Shanks and enjoyed the smell of him. He should have been dead by now, but of course Shanks wouldn’t allow something like that. He didn’t care if Benn had made his peace with his fate. Shanks was selfish like that. And Benn was glad he was. Never holding him again didn’t seem like an option anymore.

“You didn’t think I would leave you there, did you?” Shanks asked as if reading Benn’s mind.

Benn smiled as he leaned back against him. “I’d hoped you would be in safety by now. But no, I didn’t actually think you would.”

Shanks remained silent for a while as they rode on, leaving the city far behind them. “You know,” he finally said softly, “I’ve always said it was time for a sea change in this country. But this isn’t what I meant.”

Benn looked up, and saw the pain and hurt in Shanks’ eyes for a moment. He wished he could hold him now, but that would have to wait. “This is not your doing. The blood is on their hands, not yours. We’ll come back and then we’ll help rebuild this country, without any bloodshed. And we can, if we stick together.”

Shanks smiled and spurred on his horse. “Yeah, together we can make a change.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by osakaawa

“I should get going,” Shanks said and downed his beer. “Will you be okay?” he added slightly worriedly, as he had done for the past two months.

“I will be fine,” Benn assured him, as always. It had been two months since his wife had left him, and in that time, Shanks had been his rock. Benn had lost his house in the divorce and had been sleeping on Shanks’ couch ever since. They had been friends long before Benn’s life had fallen apart, even before Benn had gotten married. But in these past two months, they had become closer than ever, and Benn started to wonder if the divorce really was the worst thing that had happened to him. “I’ll see you at home?” Shanks’ home, technically, but it didn’t feel like he was really a guest anymore.

“Maybe, but I’ll be back late,” Shanks replied. “Don’t wait up, you have that lecture in the morning.”

“Yeah, I should get going too.” Benn emptied his glass and put some money on the bar to pay for their drinks. “I’ll walk out with you.”

Shanks slapped him amicably on the shoulder and let his arm rest there as they left the bar.

* * *

It was the middle of the night when Benn heard the key turn in the lock, and with a smile, he opened his eyes. Being silent wasn’t Shanks’ strong suit, no matter how much he tried, and Benn wasn’t even surprised when Shanks managed to trip over a chair with a lot of noise. Benn turned on the light.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Shanks said as he scrambled to his feet and dusted off his clothes.

“That’s alright. I couldn’t sleep anyway.” Benn rubbed his temples.

Shanks sat down on the edge of the couch that had been Benn’s bed for the past two months. “Nervous for your lecture?”

“Not the lecture. Just…”

“Just that _she_ ’ll be there?” Shanks finished his sentence.

Benn laughed humourlessly. “Yeah. It wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t living happily in our house with the man she cheated on me with. Or if I had someone to brag about.”

Shanks wrapped his arm around him, pulling him close. “I know it hurts, but she was a fool to ever let you go. I’m serious,” he continued when Benn let out a snort. “I know you’re in a bad place right now, but the past two months…” He trailed off, standing up as he laughed nervously. “I can’t finish that sentence without sounding like a jerk.” He combed with his hand through his hair.

Benn smiled. “I know what you mean. Thank you. I don’t think I could have gone through this without you.”

Shanks turned around and smiled. He reached out, almost if he wanted to cup Benn’s cheek, but then ruffled his hair. “What are friends for?”

“What indeed,” Benn said, trying to ignore the twinge he felt.

* * *

The past two months had been both the best and the worst of Shanks’ life. The worst for two reasons: one, his best friend was going through hell, and two, he had his own feelings to deal with. Of course he couldn’t let Benn stand in the rain when he needed a place to stay, and he had meant it when he said Benn could stay as long as he liked. He loved having Benn around, for obvious reasons. And one hopefully not so obvious one. Which brought him to the second reason, he was in love with his best friend. Benn had no idea about his feelings, as far as Shanks knew anyway, and Shanks wasn’t inclined to tell him about them any time soon, if at all.

On the other side, Benn and he had never been as close as they were now. They spent more time together than before, now that Benn didn’t have to divide his attention anymore between Shanks and his wife. Which sounded mean of course, but even if Benn lost the life he had, he seemed to take it all rather well. In fact, Shanks hadn’t seen him smile this often before. Their talk the other night had made clear that Benn was over his wife. He had long ago stopped trying to patch things up. Shanks had always been opposed to him trying to reconcile. Not for his own feelings, mind you, but the woman had cheated on Benn and was now living with her lover. Benn deserved better than that. He deserved to be happy.

He sighed again as he stared at his beer.

From the other side of the table, Mihawk glanced at him. “If I’d known you’d be melancholic…”

“What? You wouldn’t have agreed to have a drink with me?” Shanks finished, slightly pouting.

Mihawk took a sip from his wine. “Actually, it’s preferable over your usual behaviour. But I’ll indulge you, just for tonight. What’s on your mind?”

Before Shanks could reply, the door of the bar opened and Benn stepped inside, looking around searching. His eyes soon found their table, but instead of waving, Shanks panicked and planted a kiss on Mihawk’s lips. Only after that, he pretended to notice Benn and waved at him.

“I’m sure you realise what I’ll have to do with you if you ever pull a stunt like that again,” Mihawk said lowly as Benn made his way over to them.

“I know. Please play along?” Shanks begged. He wasn’t sure what he was trying to achieve, or actually, he was, but why he thought it would work was beyond him. Still, he started this now, he might as well see it through, so he wrapped his arm around Mihawk. “Hi!" he greeted Benn cheerfully. “Care to join us?”

Benn eyed him for a moment, before looking at Mihawk. “Hawk-eyes.”

“Beckman,” Mihawk replied in the same tone, before turning back to his wine.

Benn cleared his throat and looked Shanks. “I didn’t know you two…” He made a vague gesture with his hand.

“Hm? Oh, yes, we’re very much in love.” Shanks pressed a kiss on Mihawk’s cheek, praying that Mihawk would wait with cutting off one of Shanks’ body parts until Benn was gone.

Benn smile, though it looked a little forced. “Congratulations then. I don’t want to intrude, so I’ll go.”

“I’ll see you at home?” Shanks called after him. Benn just waved, without looking back. Shanks groaned and let his head fall on the table. “You can kill me now. Just make it quick.”

“I should, but since you bought the drinks, I’ll give you a chance to explain yourself.” Mihawk took another sip.

“I bought? Okay, I bought,” Shanks hastily said when he saw Mihawk’s raised eyebrow. “And I’ll buy the next too.”

Mihawk just hummed.

Shanks sighed. “I just… Well, I _hoped_ I might could make him a little jealous if he thought I was dating someone.”

“And you thought I was a suitable party?”

“You’re the only one here,” Shanks all but whined. “Look, I sleep around, he knows that, but… He knows you and I are friends, but he doesn’t know you that well, so…”

Mihawk stared at him for a moment, letting him squirm under his gaze. Finally, he put down his glass. “Why don’t you just confess to him?”

“I can’t! He’s only been divorced for two months, and he was married to a woman!”

“You don’t care about gender,” Mihawk pointed out.

“Well, no, but some people do! I don’t know, he never talks about things like that. Besides, he’s my best friend. He should be able to trust me.”

“And he can’t?” Mihawk inquired.

“Of course he can, but… Why did I think _you_ of all people would understand?” Shanks buried his face in his arms.

Mihawk sighed. “If you tell him, either of two things can happen. One, he reciprocates your feelings. Two, he doesn’t.”

Shanks looked up, a deadpanned look on his face. “Thank you, Dr Love. I’ve gotten that far myself.”

“You claim he is your best friend, no? You say he should be able to trust you. So why can’t you trust him to accept you, even if he doesn’t feel the same? It might be awkward at first, but if you care as much for each other as you claim, he will make the effort to stay your friend.” Mihawk finished his glass. “You shouldn’t lie to him by pretending to date me. Which, might I remind you, will cost you dearly if you keep up this charade.”

Shanks looked up as Mihawk’s words sunk in slowly. “You’re right. You’re so smart.” He slapped Mihawk jovially on the shoulder. “I’m gonna tell him. And if things work out, I owe you more than one drink.”

Mihawk raised his eyebrow as he beckoned the waiter. “You do so already.”

* * *

Shanks felt oddly giddy when he opened his front door. Flirting with strangers was no problem, he even flirted with friends from time to time, but this was different. Not only because Benn was his best friend, but also because Shanks wanted more than to sleep with him, though he definitely wanted that too.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door of the living room, and stopped in his tracks when he saw Benn was packing his bag. “What are you doing?”

Benn looked over his shoulder. “Oh, you’re back.” He continued folding. “I just realised I overstayed my welcome. After all, if you’re in love with someone, you should be able to take them home without worrying someone will be in the way.”

“I told you you could stay as long as you liked,” Shanks protested.

“Everyone says that.” Benn put a stack of t-shirts in his bag. “It’s called being polite.”

Shanks raised his eyebrows. “Since when do you know me to be polite?”

Benn stopped his movements for a moment and looked at Shanks, before shaking his head and continuing. “Still, I should have started looking for my own place a long time ago. It was just nice, having someone in the house, but I should get used to being alone. I’m sorry I interrupted your date, by the way.”

Shanks sunk in a chair and sighed. The moment of truth. “It wasn’t a date.”

Benn turned around again. “It wasn’t? You seemed to imply…”

“I know, I know.” Shanks stood up again and started pacing up and down. “I’m not in love with him either.”

“Then why did you say that?”

Shanks stopped pacing and smiled sheepishly at Benn. “Because I hoped it would make you jealous.”

Benn just stared at him.

“It was a long shot anyway.” Shanks sat down on the couch. “But I’m in love with you. Have been for quite a while, actually. What you do with that information is up to you, but I hope we can stay friends–”

He had barely finished his sentence when Benn pressed his lips against his. Surprised, Shanks blinked when Benn pulled back. “Oh,” was the only thing he could manage.

Benn sat down next to him. “You did a good job,” he said. “I was jealous. These past months have been great, and I realised…” He smiled. “I love you too.”

Shanks stared at him. “Oh,” he repeated, dumbfounded.

Benn smiled, draping his arm over the back of the couch, behind Shanks. “Lately, I started to realise that I was… relieved when my marriage ended. I mean, it still sucks what she did to me, but… If she hadn’t we’d probably dragged it out a few years longer before I realised I was unhappy. And you know when I am happy?”

Slowly, the surprise started to wear off, and the trademark grin appeared on Shanks’ face. “I’m starting to get an idea.”

“Well, I did need some motivation to sleep on your crappy couch for two months,” Benn said with a smile as he played with Shanks’ hair.

If possible, Shanks’ smirk grew even wider, and he leaned in, placing a hand on Benn’s chest. “You know,” he said, waggling his eyebrows, “if you play your cards right, you’ll never have to sleep on this couch again.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Shanks/Benn, superheros in spandex, requested by MyLadyDay
> 
> Captain America crossover
> 
> Three sentence fic

It was still difficult to comprehend what had happened to Shanks in such a short time while Benn had been away, and never in his life had he imagined that the small guy that was too dumb to run away from a fight would be muscular and almost as tall as he was, wearing a spandax suit, and was the hero of the nation. 

Now, Shanks was asking for his help to infiltrate several enemy bases, and Benn could only agree, but, he added with a smirk, he would only follow Shanks, and not his superhero alter ego. He looked at Shanks, taking in his sight and making a mental note that he looked _very_ good in spandex - though out of experience he knew he looked even better without it - and asked, “But you’re keeping the outfit, right?”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "You could say I got us into this, but you did not stop it from happening either", requested by Niniel-karenine
> 
> Three sentence fic

“You can keep looking at me like that all you want, it is not going to change the situation,” Shanks said as Benn was trying to strangle him slowly with the power of his mind, and he tried to move, though the net they were caught in that hang several meters above the ground didn’t allow much wiggle room, before continuing, “and I suppose you could say I’m the one who got us into this, if you’re hell-bent on placing the blame on someone, but you didn’t stop it from happening either, so if you think about it, you’re the one responsible.”

If looks could kill, Shanks would have died a slow, painful death a long time ago, if Benn was concerned, but really, how could Benn not have stopped him from going into a forest that was known for its dangers and unhospitable inhabitants, though, in all fairness, Shanks didn’t really mind that much being pressed up against Benn’s body, even though he knew he would pay if they ever got out of this mess.

Benn, on the other hand, was not amused by their predicament, but he somehow had managed to fetch the tiniest pocket knife Shanks had ever seen and started to cut through the ropes, as he grouched, “Instead of walking in such an obvious trap, if you wanted to snuggle, you could have just asked.”


	23. Chapter 23

Benn hadn’t noticed someone coming to stand next to him until a man started to talk rapidly in a language Benn didn’t know. He looked up from his breakfast, looking rather vaguely, no doubt, because the man switched to English.

“Can I sit here?”

A quick glance around the room proved that the entire dinner hall of the hotel was filled with people and the seat across Benn seemed the only vacant one. So he gestured towards it and said, “Go ahead.”

“Thanks. British?” the man asked with a grin as he sat down, placing his high piled up plate on the table.

Benn hummed. The man across from him was obviously from the country Benn was visiting, considering he seemed to speak the language fluently. His accent indicated the same as well.

Not that it was of particular importance. Benn had other things on his mind right now, one of which was in front of him in the form of the speech he had to give the next day.

“You’re doing it wrong, you know.”

Benn looked up when the man spoke again. “Excuse me?”

The man nodded towards his breakfast. “You can’t just eat toast and butter.”

“What if I like toast and butter?”

“Then that’s fine, if you’re at home. But in a hotel, you should try all dishes, especially the local ones.” He gestured towards his own laden plate. “They’re very good. Try some.”

Before Benn knew what was happening, there was a fork in front of his face with which he assumed was a local dish. “I try not to lick the cutlery of people whose name I don’t know,” he said.

The man across from him grinned. “Maybe you should start. But I’m Shanks, if it helps.”

“It does help. I’m Benn.”

“Hello, Benn. Now, try it.”

It was obvious that Shanks wouldn’t take no for an answer, so Benn wrapped his lips around the extended fork. Shanks was right, it was very good.

“Good, no?” Shanks asked, a grin on his face as if he already knew the answer.

“It is. I’ll get some myself,” Benn hastily added, fearing Shanks might feed him some more.

Shanks grinned again. “Good. Life’s an adventure. So,” he continued, “are you in town for business or pleasure?” He pronounced the last word like it was a sin.

“Business,” Benn replied.

“Well,” Shanks said, “they aren’t mutually exclusive, are they?” He waggled his eyebrows.

Benn let out a snort as he put the last of his toast in his mouth and rose to get some of the local dishes as Shanks had recommended.

When he returned, however, he decided to focus on his lecture again. He was here for a trade fair, and today he would only have to listen, but tomorrow, he had to give one himself. He wasn’t looking forward to it.

Shanks peeked on his papers from across the table. “You’re here for the fair?” When Benn nodded, he continued, “And you give a speech? What’s it about?”

“It’s... rather complicated,” Benn answered.

“If you can’t explain it to a layman, you don’t know enough about the subject,” Shanks said firmly.

He did have a point there, so to the best of his ability, Benn started to explain what his lecture was about. Shanks asked some questions here and there, but soon enough, Benn was starting to get the feeling that Shanks was nudging him in the right direction, rather than actually having questions. It seemed like he knew more about the subject than he let on. Perhaps he was in town for the trade fair as well.

“It sounds like you know what you’re talking about,” Shanks said pleased when Benn was done. “So why so nervous?”

“I don’t know,” Benn admitted, “maybe because people don’t seem to speak English very well, so I hope I can transfer my message.”

“This is true. Well, I could translate your speech for you, but that might take a while,” Shanks said with a grin.

Benn laughed. “I’d just butcher the language if you did.”

Shanks smirked. “You just need a little practice. When do you have to give it?” He pointed at the papers in front of Benn.

“Tomorrow.”

“Do you want to hold it for me? I can help, maybe,” Shanks suggested.

“I’d like that,” Benn admitted. “I have to leave in a bit, but maybe you can come to my room tonight?”

A smirk grew on Shanks’ face. “I’d love that.”

* * *

“Thank you for your attention,”  Benn concluded his story, letting out a snort when Shanks gave him a standing ovation, but smiling nonetheless. “I take it you liked it?”

“It was very good,” Shanks said.

“No comments?”

“Well...” Shanks sat down on the bed next to Benn and pointed out some things he would alter or expand. Benn was actually grateful, because about some passages he hadn’t been sure, and Shanks either reassured him that they were fine or proposed changes to make them better.

In the end, they were done sooner than Benn had expected. “So what do you want to do now?” he asked as he opened the mini bar to get some drinks.

Shanks hummed, and Benn heard the bed move. As he turned around, he saw that Shanks had made himself comfortable. Benn said nothing, his eyebrows raised, and offered Shanks a beer.

“Well,” Shanks said, taking the drink, “I was thinking an activity in which no talking is necessary.” He patted next to him on the bed.

“You lose no time over it,” Benn said.

“I just know what I want.” Shanks looked up challengingly. “Do you? Besides, I think you’d do well letting off some steam.”

Benn really couldn’t argue with that logic, or, even if he could, he didn’t want to. If he hadn’t known already what ‘yes’ was in Shanks’ language, he would make certain he would after tonight.

* * *

The room contained more people than Benn had expected, and his nerves started to return, even though he felt more relaxed than he had in a while.

When he woke up next to Shanks that morning, they had some time to kill before breakfast. After that, they went down together and Benn had ran through his lecture one more time, though he had had trouble focusing.

Still, he knew his lecture was good, so he took a deep breath, cleared his throat and began. As his eyes scanned the room, he had to smirk when he saw a head of bright red hair in the crowd.

When he was done, loud applause arose, and Benn was pretty sure Shanks started the standing ovation. People followed suit, however, so he felt flattered.

There were some questions from the audience, which Benn answered as well as he could. Afterwards, he looked for Shanks, whom he found soon enough.

“You did very well,” Shanks said with a grin.

“You didn’t have to come here especially for me.”

“I didn’t. Well, I came to the lecture especially for you, but I was here anyway,” Shanks replied.

Benn stared at him for a moment. “You never said you attended this fair.”

“You never asked,” Shanks said with a wink. He seemed to be about to say more, when a woman approached them. She asked something in a language Benn didn’t know, but he did notice it was the same language Shanks spoke.

Shanks replied to her, before turning to Benn. “She asks if she can ask you a question about your lecture.”

“Of course.”

Shanks turned back to the woman, no doubt encouraging her to proceed. He translated the question for Benn, and then Benn’s answer to it as well. The woman said something, and Shanks had to laugh, before replying.

“What did she say?” Benn asked, feeling like a third wheel.

“Ah,” Shanks said, his face indicating that it was slightly awkward, “she asked for my number.”

“Oh.” Benn had not expected that. “I should leave you to it then,” he said stiffly, before turning his heels and leaving.

He really had no reason to be upset, but it was still frustrating. Annoyed, he grabbed a sandwich, courtesy of the trade fair, and shoved it in his mouth.

“Don’t be like that.”

A little surprised to hear Shanks’ voice, Benn chewed and swallowed the bite. “Like what?”

“Like this.” Shanks made a vague gesture towards him. “I didn’t give her my number, but I almost did it out of spite, because you’re acting like a child. Don’t assume things.” He flicked against Benn’s forehead. While that in itself was annoying, Benn felt a little relieved.

Shanks grabbed a sandwich as well and leaned against the table they were standing in front. “I’m having fun with you,” he said, but then he paused, frowning, as if he had to think about his words.

“I’m only here for a few days.”

“A few fun days.” Shanks elbowed him in the ribs. “Now, stop pouting.”

Benn snorted. “I’m a grown man, I don’t pout.” Then he smiled. “I was considering asking you out tonight.”

“You should,” Shanks said, nodding. “I know a great place to eat.”

* * *

Gently, Benn shook Shanks’ shoulder. Shanks groaned and opened his eyes, blinking blearily. “Is it time to get up already?”

“It is for me,” Benn said. “I have to be at the airport at seven.”

“What time is it now?”

“Four.”

Shanks groaned again and stretched himself. Then he cocked his head a little, looking at Benn. “When did you shower?”

“Just now,” Benn said with a smile.

“Then there is probably no time to take another one?”

“Unfortunately not,” Benn replied. “No time for breakfast either. Though, you should probably go to your own room, since I have to check out. I’m not sure the housekeeping will be pleased to find you naked in bed.”

“People are always pleased to find me naked in bed,” Shanks said. “But I get your point. I’ll walk down with you. I’m up anyway.” He got up from the bed and put on some clothes.

In the lobby, Shanks waited until Benn had checked out of the room, before kissing him. “I had fun,” he said.

Benn smiled. “Me too.”

“Here.” Shanks grabbed a pen and Benn’s hand, writing down a row of numbers.

“You know, there is a block note right there,” Benn said, amused.

“You can lose a piece of paper,” Shanks replied. “You can’t lose your hand. Well, you can, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“I could wash it off accidentally.”

Shanks grabbed his hand again, pressing a kiss on the palm. “There, now you’re not allowed to wash it again.”

“How about I just put your number in my phone? Then I’m free to lose my hand.”

Shanks shrugged. “Fine. But if you lose your phone, I’ll track you down.”

“Deal.” Benn smiled and hugged Shanks, only letting go when a car driver entered the lobby with a sign with his name on it.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Car sex looks so much more easier in the movies,” requested by Arzani92
> 
> SFW

“You know, car sex looks so much more easier in the movies.”

Slowly, Benn lowered the magazine he was reading to glance at the stranger sitting next to him. While there were other people in the waiting room, it was clear the man was talking to him. Why he was though, eluded Benn. The man was handsome, with wonderful bone structure and bright red hair. He didn’t seem to be wounded, but then again, not all ailments were visible.

“I don’t,” he started, trailing off. “We don’t know each other.”

“I know,” the man replied. “I’m not _that_ drunk. I was just reading an article,” he waved around the magazine in his hand, “about that movie... I forgot the title. Anyway, they have car sex, which is much harder than they make it look.”

“I,” Benn started again. “Okay.”

“I mean, of course it depends on position – both in the car itself and of the participants – what goes where, and how many people are involved, but...”

As he continued talking, Benn stared at him in utter confusion. Why was this guy talking to him about an orgy in a car he may or may not have had? Flabbergasted wasn’t even beginning to describe how he felt, and he was starting to wonder if the cut on his arm was really bad enough to stay at the emergency room in the middle of the night.

The man stopped mid sentence, looking at Benn with mild amusement. “You think I’m weird, don’t you?”

“That’s... one way to put it,” Benn said, hoping that would be the end of it. Of course, it wasn’t.

“I’m Shanks,” the man introduced himself, holding out his hand.

Slowly, Benn placed the magazine on his lap, taking Shanks’ hand. “Nice to meet you,” he forced himself to say.

“You’re not going to give your name, are you?” Shanks asked, still looking amused.

“I’d rather not.”

“Benn Beckman?”

Benn closed his eyes when the nurse called his name, because he could hardly ignore it only so that this weirdo wouldn’t find out his name. He would draw his conclusions when no one came forward.

Sighing deeply, he rose. “Here,” he said as he walked towards the nurse, looking over his shoulder.

Shanks’ eyes were glistening. “Bye Benn!” he called, waving. “I’ll see you when you get back!”


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “I appreciate the thought, but I don’t need a thousand condoms, thanks.”, requested by Arzani92

“Happy birthday, man.”

“Thank you.” Benn became a little suspicious from the grin on Yasopp’s face as he took the rectangular package from him, feeling like he was being messed with. The gift appeared to be a box, wrapped in colourful paper. Carefully, Benn shook it. Several small things moved inside.

Even more suspicious now, especially because Yasopp’s grin had only grown and Roo was chuckling behind his hand, Benn started to unwrap the paper. His eyebrows rose when he saw the printing on the box. “Condoms.” His eyebrows rose even further. “You gave me a hundred pack of condoms?”

“Try a thousand!” Beaming, Yasopp opened the closet door, revealing nine more similar packs as Benn was holding. Benn decided he wasn’t going to ask how Yasopp had managed to put those in the closet without him noticing.

“Uhm, thanks?” Benn said, waiting patiently until Yasopp and Roo had pulled themselves together.

“It’s kind of a rite of passage,” Shanks, who was sitting next to Benn on the couch, said. “He did it to me as well. It means you’re one of us now.”

“Seems like an expensive prank,” Benn said, musing.

Yasopp wiped the tears from his eyes. “Totally worth it, though.”

“Speaking of,” Shanks said. “Could I borrow some of yours? I’m all out.”

Suddenly, all eyes were on him. “You went through a _thousand_ condoms already?!” Yasopp asked, disbelieving.

“When did you get them?” Benn asked.

Shanks looked up to the ceiling pensively. “Today is Saturday... Somewhere last year.”

“And you’re out already?!” Yasopp asked. “What did you do, make balloon animals out of them?”

Shanks gave him a deadpanned look. “Come on, do I really need to explain how you use a condom? You really should have paid more attention in biology class.”

“You had sex a thousand times in a year?!” Yasopp all but shrieked.

“Of course not.”

Yasopp seemed relieved.

“Sometimes I didn’t have condoms with me, so we used theirs.”

Yasopp looked like he was about to faint. “You had sex with a thousand people?!”

“Nah, I don’t think so. Though, it’s sometimes hard to keep track how many people are present during an orgy.”

Yasopp just stared at him, blinking.

“You seem surprised. I’m very attractive, you know,” Shanks said, before turning back to Benn. “So how about it?”

“Well, I suppose you can borrow one pack, but I’m gonna need the others,” Benn replied. Everyone was suddenly looking at him, and he had trouble keeping a straight face.

Shanks recovered quickly from the surprise, though, and a grin stretched across his face. “You know, I know a great way of how we can save half the condoms between us.”

Benn’s lips curled in a smile. “Sounds like a plan. Less waste.”

Shanks looked at Yasopp. “We should really buy you something as a thank you for bringing us together. How about we return the favour?”

Yasopp sighed deeply, defeated. “You know what? I appreciate the thought, but I don’t need a thousand condoms, thanks.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "met while they’re both hostages in a bank", requested by MyLadyDay

“If you would just fill out this form, sir,” the bank employee said, sliding over a bundle of papers across the counter.

Shanks took the pen that was hanging from a chain and leaned with his elbows on the surface of the counter as he read through what he had to fill out.

“It’s really basic information,” the man helping him said – his name tag said Benn Beckman. “Your name and address and such.”

Shanks hummed as he wrote down his name at the first question, when the door of the bank slid open again. It had happened before, but for some reason, it drew Shanks’ attention this time. The two men who entered looked normal enough, yet the alarm bells in Shanks’ head were going off. When one of the men turned around, Shanks noticed a bulge underneath his jacket, which very well would be a gun.

While he was observing the men, he hadn’t turned away from the form, but now he looked up to bank employee Benn. “You might want to press the alarm button,” he said in a low voice.

“Excuse me?”

“Those men who just entered, I think they’re up to no good,” Shanks said.

Benn’s eyebrows rose. “Do you know them?”

Shanks was glad that as Benn eyed the men, he did so without turning his head towards them.

“No.” Shanks sighed. “Call it instinct. Just press the button.”

“I could get in a lot of trouble if you’re wrong,” Benn said as his hand disappeared underneath the counter.

Shanks took a deep, relieved breath that Benn trusted him. “You’ll be a hero if I’m right. Now, call them over.”

“Do you think they’re armed?”

“Undoubtedly.”

Benn gave him a deadpanned look. “Then why would I call them over?”

“Would you prefer that your colleagues helped them?”

Benn eyed his co-workers, mostly female and older than him. He then pressed the button to call them over.

Shanks moved out of the way, pretending to fill in the form a bit away from Benn, but close enough he could overhear.

The men moved to stand in front of Benn.

“One at the time, please,” Benn said, managing to sound almost bored.

“I think you want to make an exception,” one of the men said, and Shanks was certain he was aiming his gun at Benn even if he couldn’t see a weapon from where he was standing. “Keep your hands above the counter, we know there is an alarm button under there,” the man continued. “Put the money in here.”

Benn took the dirty bag they put on the counter and slowly rose, keeping his hands where they could see them. His movements drew the attention of another bank employee, who was sitting next to him. Shanks saw them exchange a look, and her hand moved to the alarm button.

Unfortunately, Shanks wasn’t the only one who noticed.

“Hands where I can see them!”

Benn’s co-worker let out a shriek and lifted up her hands.

“He has a gun!”

People started to run for the exit, but the second man fired his gun in the air. “Everyone away from the door!” The bank patrons gasped in shock as the men led people away from the door at gunpoint. One of the robbers started barricading the door.

“Hands up, everyone!” The first man waved his gun around as the people present clustered together, holding on to each other in fear.

The man looked around, his eyes resting on Shanks. “I said, hands up!” he shouted.

“I am. Well, I know it’s just one, but it’s all I have,” Shanks replied calmly.

“Don’t play games with me!” The robber seemed to be quite on edge, perhaps not every used to committing crimes. Shanks assumed it was his first robbery. Still it was too early to act and he let the man pat him down in search of a hidden arm.

“See, I told you.”

“Everyone, get on the ground. Right now!” the second man called, after he was done barricading the door.

Benn, as well as the other bank employees, stepped from behind the counter as indicated by the robbers. Benn lowered himself to the ground next to Shanks.

“You’re going to have to explain me how you knew there would be a robbery,” he muttered under his breath.

“I told you,” Shanks replied lowly, “instinct.”

Benn eyed him sceptically, as if Shanks was in on the robbery.

“Okay, we’re going to make this very simple,” one of the robbers said. “Just give us all your money, and no one needs to get hurt.”

Police sirens sounded in the distance, getting closer by the second, and Shanks could see panic spread across the robbers’ features.

“Who called them?!” The first robber waved his gun around, pointing at each of his hostages. “Who?!”

Everyone kept their head low, afraid to look at him.

Shanks moved ever so slightly, and Benn grabbed his wrist.

“Do not do anything stupid,” he hissed, as if he could read Shanks’ mind.

“’m gonna do something stupid,” Shanks muttered back. He pulled his arm loose and rose to his feet. Immediately, he had a gun in his face and he looked at the barrel unimpressed. “You asked a question, didn’t you? He pressed the button.” He pointed at Benn, who was lying on the floor, but still managed to shoot Shanks a deadly look.

The gun was now pointing at Benn.

“But he only did per my request,” Shanks continued calmly. He was aware that all attention was now on him, both from the hostages as from the hostage takers.

The barrel was back in his face. “You a cop?”

“No,” Shanks replied, “but I used to be. And could you please stop waving that gun in my face?” He took the barrel between his thumb and index finger, moving it in a safe direction. “Which is why you’re gonna let all the other hostages go. You can keep me, if you want. I have a lot of buddies in blue, so they’ll want to rescue me no matter what. And keeping so many hostages is a liability. Someone is bound to do something stupid.” His eyes flicked over to Benn, whose face told him exactly what he thought.

“I don’t believe you,” the first robber said, pointing the gun back at Shanks.

A phone rang, startling everyone.

“Shall I take that then?” Shanks asked cheerfully. Without waiting for a reply, he walked over to one of the bank’s main lines and pressed the speakerphone button.

“This is Sergeant Yasopp Snyper. Who am I speaking to?”

“Sergeant, eh? Sound like someone was promoted,” Shanks said with a warm smile on his face.

It stayed silent for a moment at the other end of the line. “Captain?” Yasopp finally asked, sounding confused.

“I haven’t been your captain in a long time.”

“Captain, what are you doing there?” Yasopp continued, ignoring his words. “Are you robbing the bank?”

Shanks started to laugh. “Nah, not today. I was opening a bank account. Wrong place, wrong time. Or right time, perhaps.”

“How many people are there? Is anyone hurt? Witnesses said they heard shots.”

Shanks scanned the room. “Twelve, including myself and the gentlemen keeping us here. No one is hurt, except the ceiling. But they will let go nine of the hostages, won’t you?” He looked up at the robbers.

“Who will stay behind?” Yasopp asked, though Shanks knew he already knew the answer to that question.

“I am. To guarantee that these men will get what they want,” Shanks said grimly. “The hostages are coming out now.”

“Eight!” one of the robbers suddenly said.

“Excuse me?” Shanks asked, eyebrows raised.

“Only eight can go. We’ll also keep the bank manager.” With that, he pressed the button to hang up.

“You haven’t even made your demands yet,” Shanks protested.

“Shut up! Go back to the rest.” The robber poked with his gun in Shanks’ chest.

“I asked you to stop that,” Shanks said. “Don’t make me ask again.”

Something in his voice made the robber hesitate, but Shanks went back to the other hostages anyway.

“So, which one of you is the manager?” the second robber asked. His gun pointed to each person present in turn. Everyone remained quiet.

“I am.”

Shanks turned his head towards Benn as he rose from his lying position. “I thought you said not to do anything stupid,” he muttered.

“I’m just following your example,” Benn replied lowly.

“Well then,” Shanks continued, turning to the robbers. “If you would be so kind to let everyone else go.”

The second thief looked at the first, who shrugged. “I’ll keep an eye on these two.”

The other man led the rest of the hostages to the door. Once they were all safe outside, Shanks sighed in relief.

“Alright,” the first robber said, pointing his gun at Benn. “Now you can open the safe for us.”

“I can’t,” Benn replied.

For a moment, Shanks was surprised that Benn would give up so easily, until he continued.

“The safe can only be opened at certain times of the day. That’s in a few hours.”

“Why?” the robber exclaimed.

“Oh, you know, to discourage people from robbing banks. I know it’s hard to believe, but there are crazy people who want to do that,” Shanks said deadpanned, wincing as Benn’s elbow was jabbed in his ribs.

The two robbers looked at each other. “Let’s tie them up,” the first said, turning to Benn. “Where do you keep rope?”

“Yeah, rope isn’t really necessary in my line of work,” Benn replied deadpanned.

“Duct tape? Something?”

“Also not very necessary in banking.”

The second robber elbowed his partner in the ribs. “We can use their belts.”

The first robber nodded, pointing his gun at Benn. “Take off your belt.”

“Look, I would like to see him take his pants off as much as the next guy, but forcing him to do it at gun point is not okay,” Shanks said.

“Shut up!” the second robber snapped. “Take of yours too.”

Shanks shrugged, undoing his belt and the button of his pants, while he was at it, until the first thief exclaimed, “Just the belt!”

“You’re no fun,” Shanks said.

“You,” the first robber gestured towards Benn. “Take his belt and tie him up.”

Benn didn’t reply, but did walk over to Shanks, taking his belt. He looked from the belt to Shanks a few times, wondering how he had to tie Shanks up with only one arm. Finally, he wrapped the belt around Shanks’ waist , trapping his arm against his body. “I’m sorry about this,” he muttered.

“That’s okay. I don’t mind a little bondage,” Shanks replied with a grin, waggling his eyebrows when Benn looked up.

Benn didn’t pull the belt that tight, and Shanks was sure he could pull his arm free if needed. However, it seemed that the robbers didn’t view a one armed man as much of a threat, because they hardly spared him a glance before tying Benn’s arms behind his back with his own belt.

“Any moment, that phone is going to ring again, and you’ll have to have your demands ready,” Shanks said. “Believe me, this is not my first robbery.”

“A getaway vehicle will do nicely,”  the first robber said. “Once this guy opens the safe, we have all the money we want.” He poked Benn in the back with his gun.

Shanks could see the annoyance on his face, but he hadn’t expected Benn to whip around and headbutting the robber.

The man fell down, his gun falling out of his hand. Benn kicked it away and placed his foot on the helpless man’s throat.

The other robber aimed his gun at Benn, but Shanks took to opportunity to rip his arm free and punch him in the face. He fell down, out cold.

“Well, that had to hurt,” Shanks said, though he couldn’t keep the admiration from his voice.

“It did.” Benn pulled a painful face. “But you did warn him poking around with that gun, so at some point, it had to be enough. Nice left hook, by the way.”

“Thanks, you should have seen my right.” Shanks walked over to the fallen gun, pointing it at the robber. “You see how annoying that is?” he asked the thief.

Benn lifted his foot from the poor man’s throat, lowering himself to the floor and moving his body through the hoop formed by his arms.

Shanks watched his every move. “You’re limber,” he said, once Benn was on his feet again. “That’s good to know.”

He handed Benn the gun he was holding, glancing over at the unconscious man. “If you don’t mind, I’ll ring Yasopp now,” he said to Benn.

Walking over to the bank’s phone, he dialled Yasopp’s number.

“Captain?” Yasopp’s excited voice sounded through the speaker.

“Yeah, it’s me. It’s safe to come inside now.”

It only took a few seconds for several officers to run inside, taking the gun from Benn and untying him, while the robbers were arrested. Yasopp hastened himself over to Shanks.

“Are you alright?” he asked Shanks.

“I’m perfectly fine. Benn’s the one who headbutted one of the culprits.” He looked at Benn who was just handed a wet cloth for his head by a paramedic who had followed the cops inside.

“Captain Red was always very capable,” a voice suddenly said, and Shanks turned around, grinning like an idiot.

“Inspector Silvers. Long time no see.”

“Well, we don’t get that many bank robberies, especially not with hostages, so I figured I’d stop by. Sergeant Snyper seemed to have the situation under control, however, as did you from the inside,” Rayleigh said. “Perhaps you retired from the force too soon.”

“Perhaps. But if I may be so bold, I think I’d like to recommend someone.” Shanks looked at Benn with a grin.

“Me?” Benn asked, surprised. “I’m just a bank employee, not even the manager.”

“You knocked out a culprit with your head. Besides,” Shanks continued, “can you honestly say that you won’t be bored to death here after today?”

“I can think about one or two things to make it more exciting,” Benn replied, never taking his eyes off Shanks.

If possible, the grin on his face stretched even more. “In that case,” he said, “I may have left the force, but I still have the handcuffs.”


End file.
